Most neighbors expect to enjoy a bit of sunshine and good food at a neighborhood pool party. For Teri B. in Dallas, TX, she learned that she could help one of her neighbors in a unique way.

“It just felt like it was fate,” says Teri.

It was Fourth of July, and the neighborhood had come together to barbecue, socialize, and enjoy fireworks. It was there that Teri learned of a neighbor, Linda, who was very sick and badly in need of a liver transplant. Several people had been tested to find out if they were a match, but no one was.

“I told my husband, ‘I’m thinking of giving my liver to Linda,’” Teri remembers. “She was dying, and I could help her.”

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Teri and her husband, who supported her throughout the donation process.

Over the course of four months, Teri went through rigorous tests to see if she was a match. Once it was determined she was, the surgery was scheduled almost immediately. Throughout it all, the neighbors who had first heard of the ordeal from the Fourth of July party began to plan. Using Nextdoor to organize support and spread the word of the upcoming surgery, neighbors arranged carpools, meal drop-offs, and visits for both Teri and Linda.

Thankfully, the surgery went well – and doctors said that Linda probably wouldn’t have made it another week with her old liver.

Both Teri and Linda had a long recovery. Teri was barely able to get out of bed for three long months as her liver regenerated, during which their incredible community stepped up and helped with food, laundry, chores, and errands for Teri, Linda, and their families.

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Teri and Linda the day Linda returned home from the hospital.

“It was amazing,” Teri said. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a difference. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and we couldn’t have done it without our neighbors’ help and support as we both recovered.”

As for Linda, Teri says that she’s “back to her happy and ornery self!”

Inspired by the experience and helping others, Teri is now going back to school in San Antonio to become a nurse. She has one year left in her program, after which she plans to move right back to her old neighborhood and the extraordinary community there.

“I can’t wait,” she says. “I’m so looking forward to it.”

Do you have a story about how you have used Nextdoor in your neighborhood? Let us know.